Sky High, the Series: Episode 7:No Place Like Home
by DR. COFFIN
Summary: While our Will finds himself the target of his alternate earth dad the Tyrant, the other Will gets to know his good dad the Commander, but the return of the evil robot Ticranium may cut this father and son day short!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High, because if I did you'd be watching this instead of reading it, and this episode would feature the songs "Twilight Zone" by Golden Earring, "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd, and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" by Elton John.**

**Sky High: The Series**

**Episode 7**

**No Place Like Home**

"And finally," said Mr. Medulla as he FINALLY wrapped up his speech, "I would like to thank Mr. Stronghold for volunteering to be the first LIVING subject of this new transporter unit we are looking to install here at Sky High…providing he survives, of course."

Laughter came from the class, except for Will, who was again wondering how he had let himself get talked into this. It seemed like an easy enough demonstration for Mad Science class, but once Medulla had launched into his full speech, it seemed less and less like volunteering was a good idea after all.

"Mr. Medulla," said Ethan as he raised his hand, "isn't there a chance the device won't work due to Will's denser molecular structure which results in his super strength and near-invulnerability?"

"An excellent question," replied Mr. Medulla, "but not a concern. I've made sure it's been especially calibrated to compensate for Mr. Stronghold being so dense…in more ways than one."

Another ripple of laughter, but Will was still nervous. He had never thought about what teleporting really entailed; being completely disassembled at the molecular level then reassembled in a different place. Thoughts of the old horror movie where a scientist got a fly's molecules mixed with his own and turned him into a hideous monster kept flashing in Will's head, and Ethan's question brought up something Will hadn't thought of…suppose he was disassembled but they couldn't reassemble him? Would it hurt? Would he still be able to think and feel or would he just be…dead?

Will was just about to speak up and voice his concerns when Mr. Medulla threw the device into operation and a bright light heralded Will fading from view before everyone…just before all sorts of warning devices began going off. Mr. Medulla swiftly shut everything down, puzzled as to what had just happened.

"Everyone, please remain calm," he said to the class, "I'm sure it's nothing too severe, perhaps an overloaded fuse…hopefully I didn't put a circuit in backwards…never mind, I DIDN'T say that…"

"Mr. Medulla," said Ethan as he joined the teacher on the podium in his position of lab assistant, "where's Will?"

"Oh, Mr. Stronghold," said Medulla as if he had totally forgotten about the boy, "why, he should be right over…" he pointed to the receiver plate where Will was supposed to be, but the area was empty. "Uh…perhaps he's still…" the sending plate was also empty. Medulla desperately looked around, finally realizing there was not so much as a hair left of Will.

"Oh dear," he whispered to himself, "his father is definitely going to freak."

* * *

Will woke up slowly with the worst headache he had had since…well, EVER. He also felt like he had been run over by a truck…at least if he had been BEFORE he had powered up. Every muscle was stiff and sore, which was shocking, as he hadn't felt that way in months. 

"Are you alright?"

Will recognized the voice, and focused his eyes to see Nurse Spex standing next to him.

"That was quite a fall you took," she said as she slapped a cold compress on Will's throbbing forehead, easing the pain. "It's good to see you recovered so quickly."

Fall? What fall? Will had been standing still when the transporter had been activated, so what was she talking about?

"Ah," a deep voice came from the doorway, "I see our patient is trying to get up and around."

"I've looked him over," said Nurse Spex, indicating her x-ray vision, "and nothing's broken. Looks like he just got the wind knocked out of him."

"That's good to know," said the voice that Will found familiar but could not put his finger on, "Lash and Speed were concerned when they found him laying in the gymnasium, and they haven't relaxed yet."

Lash and Speed? What were THEY doing here in school…both had been expelled for working for Royal Pain.

Will finally focused his eyes on the large figure filling the doorway, and a chill shot up his spine as he recognized who it was.

The large man was dressed in an impeccable dark blue suit with an orange tie and pocket kerchief matching the school colors. His dark hair was cut short, and he wore a well-trimmed goatee. Despite the fact he did not have a thin jagged scar on the left side of his face, this was the man Will had last seen in a dark warehouse, about to blast him to kingdom come.

It was Warren's father…Barron Battle.

"Well Principal Battle," said Nurse Spex, "you know what a pair of literal boy scouts those two are. I'm surprised you didn't trip over them standing outside the door when you came in."

PRINCIPAL Battle? What was going on here? Had Will been unconscious and a group of villains taken over the school while he was out? That didn't make any sense at all…why would Barron Battle take part in such a charade, and where was his scar?

"Actually," said Barron, "they ARE right outside. Come on in boys."

With that Lash and Speed came in, and Will had another in a long line of surprises. Both of the punks were impeccably dressed, wearing what looked like school uniforms and were perfectly groomed with short cut hair. They both came to attention and stood still until Barron, rolling his eyes and sighing, told them "at ease".

Both boys did as told, with Speed speaking first.

"Sir, we've come to inquire as to the state of Freshman Stronghold as we are concerned about his well-being."

"You'll both be glad to know that he's alright, just a little shaken up is all."

"With permission sir," said Lash, "may we speak with him?"

"Permission granted," said Barron, trying to keep from laughing as the two came up to Will, who involuntarily flinched as he remembered what the two bullies were capable of.

"Geez Will," said Lash, sounding more like himself but with a friendly smile on his face, "you scared the heck out of us. What were you doing in the gym anyway?"

"Yeah," continued Speed, "if you hadn't been laying unconscious we'd have had to turn you in for ditching class. Though we're buds we're still the hall monitors, you know."

Will was now positive he had a concussion of some kind and was hallucinating. These two were the hall monitors? What kind of madhouse had he landed in?

"Hey little bro," came another familiar voice, and though he was braced for it, Will was still surprised when he saw who came through the door and Lash and Speed both gave him a high five.

It was Warren, but instead of wearing leather and denim, he looked like a beach bum with a bright red muscle shirt, baggy Bermuda shorts, and ratty looking tennis shoes. The two biggest surprises were that Warren's still long hair was blonde, and he was grinning from ear to ear.

Before Will could react, Warren grabbed him in a big bear hug, lifting him completely off the floor. Will was naturally a little disoriented when he was put back on the floor to again face Warren's blinding grin.

"I was so totally worried about you," said Warren sounding like Keanu Reeves in "Bill and Ted", "I heard you were here and I was like, whoa, not good. We'd have got here sooner but we couldn't get out of history class early."

We? Just what Will needed, more topsy-turvy versions of the people he knew.

It was Layla, but definitely NOT the Layla she knew. Her red hair was short and spikey, and she wore dark green eyeliner around her eyes, looking like a raccoon. Her pierced ears were filled with earrings, and she wore a studded collar with matching bracers. She wore a dark green sleeveless top that revealed tanned, rather well developed arms, along with camouflage pants, studded boots, and chains rattled everywhere.

"Hey skinny," said Layla as she playfully punched him in the shoulder, "caught takin' a nap between classes, eh? Be more careful next time you wanna ditch."

Will felt like he was going crazy. What was this place? The surroundings looked the same, but these were NOT the people he knew…at least not the way he knew them to be. This had to be a trick of some kind…but who would go out their way for such a prank? Warren couldn't act that well, and there was no way he'd let anyone pretend to be his dad.

"Excuse me everyone," came another voice from the doorway, "but I have to ask you all to step AWAY from Mr. Stronghold."

"Why's that?"

"Because he's NOT Mr. Stronghold…at least not OUR Mr. Stronghold."

Everyone did as they were told, and Will finally got a look at who was speaking.

She was a tall woman of middle years, with her hair pulled back in a severe bun. She had thick bottle-bottom glasses and what looked like a perpetual frown on her face as she wore a lab coat covering her dark dress and sensible shoes. Will had never seen her before, but there was a nagging feeling he knew her from somewhere before.

"What exactly do you mean, Dr. Tenny?"

Dr. Tenny? SUE TENNY? Will nearly screamed as he realized he was looking at Sue Tenny, aka Gwen Grayson, aka his ex-girlfriend Royal Pain! But she looked like she would have if the Pacifier had never turned her into a baby in her final battle with Will's parents. Will thought back to her old high school picture, the one that enabled him to figure out who Gwen was (well, NEARLY, he thought Gwen had been Sue's daughter, not Sue herself), and realized that though older, she definitely had not caught onto the latest beauty and grooming aids.

"I ran a test of the strange energy surge I had detected earlier today, and followed a trail of the residual energy to here…to Mr. Stronghold. I have determined that a switching in space-time between two beings of exact type, yet slightly different frequencies caused the energy."

"And what that means in HUMAN speak is…" said Warren.

"This is a Will Stronghold from another dimension…an alternate earth if you will."

"A DIFFERENT Will?" said Warren, "but if he's not my little bro…where is HE?"

* * *

Will woke up slowly with the worst headache he had had since…well, EVER. He also felt like he had been run over by a truck…at least if he had been BEFORE he had powered up. Every muscle was stiff and sore, which was shocking as he hadn't felt that way in months. 

"Are you alright?"

Will recognized the voice, and focused his eyes to see Nurse Spex standing next to him.

"We found you on the other side of the auditorium out cold from Medulla's stupid transporter," she said as she slapped a cold compress on Will's throbbing forehead, easing the pain. "It's good to see you recovered so quickly."

Auditorium? Transporter? Will had been taking a shortcut through the gym to get to his home economics class, so what was she talking about?

"Well," came a woman's voice from the doorway, "it looks like he's finally come around."

Will had to squint to focus his eyes, and then he saw the form of a tall woman with black hair dressed in a dazzling white woman's suit. When his eyes focused, however, a chill shot down his spine as he recognized her.

It was her…it was Queen Comet!

Will acted on his first instinct and hurled himself from the cot he had been laying on. He knew he had no chance fighting off one of the most powerful villainesses around, so his only recourse was to run and try to find help. He took to the air, smashing up and through the ceiling of the infirmary and had gone up to the next floor before he realized he had left Nurse Spex behind. Stupid, stupid, STUPID! There was no telling what the Queen would do to the school nurse…then Will realized he was still at Sky High…that must mean the Queen had invaded the school! Now it was more desperate than ever that he find the others and hope they could hold off the Queen until Dad arrived.

"Yo Will," a voice called behind him, "what's with the hole in the floor dude?"

Thinking he recognized the voice, Will turned and found himself looking at a tall, skinny kid dressed in white and yellow, and with him was a small black boy in a bright orange sweater and glasses.

"Radiator and the Ooze!" Will screamed at the two, "YOU'RE here too? What, is there an army of you guys? We'll stop you, though! We stopped you and that crazy Dr. Dome from ruining homecoming and turning us all into babies, and we'll do it again!"

Will then flew off down the hallway, leaving Zach and Ethan standing there with their mouths hanging open.

"Dude?" asked Zach.

"Yeah?" replied Ethan.

"Those names are SO COOL! Why didn't we think of them?"

Will continued flying down the hall, so desperate to find help he wasn't watching where he was going and slammed into a tall figure that just turned the corner. Both continued on to smash into and through a concrete wall, landing in a heap on the other side. Luckily they were in an empty classroom, so no one else had gotten hurt.

"You know Stronghold," said Warren as he got to his feet and dusted the concrete particles off him, "I'd ask, "where's the fire", but…well, you know."

"Warren?" asked Will as he stood up, "Oh Warren, thank God I found you!"

Will grabbed Warren and hugged him fit to knock the air out of the bigger boy. Warren had the most puzzled look on his face and considered lighting up to get Will to let him go when his friend released the bear hug but stayed uncomfortably close to him.

"We've got to warn Dad…the school's crawling with super villains and…"

"Whoa," said Warren, "what do you mean warn your dad? Don't you mean…"

"I mean OUR dad," said Will looking around like a panicking animal, "I've already seen Queen Comet and…"

"Whoa, "repeated Warren, his eyes flashing anger at what he heard "OUR dad? Is this your sick idea of a joke?"

"It's alright Warren," came a voice through the hole that both boys recognized as Coach Boomer's, "I think we can get this mess sorted out…can't we Myron?"

"Well, yes…I'm sure we can if we just…"

"TALK FAST!" the room echoed with the blast of Coach Boomer's voice.

"Mr. Stronghold…Will," said Mr. Medulla, "please calm down, and we'll…I'll explain everything. I'm afraid you're…not exactly in your home universe."

Will stopped to hear what was going to be said, even though he recognized the whiney, nasal voice of Dr. Dome. He still trusted Coach Boomer, and besides he had his brother beside him. It was then he noticed how Warren was dressed, and turned to him.

"I thought Dad said we weren't doing "West Side Story" for the school musical this year," he said to Warren.

* * *

"A parallel universe?" said Will as he sat on the cot. "Sure I know what those are…but those are only in comic books and old sci-fi tv shows…right?" 

"So are people who can fly, or have super strength and hurl fireballs," said Dr. Tenny, who Will had found was actually very nice behind her stern demeanor and out of date fashion sense. If she had been like this in HIS world, combined with her youth and beauty she would have been a great heroine…and she and Will would still be going together.

Will shook his head to clear it and focus on what was going on.

"It seems you and "our" Will somehow got synchronized in such a way that you were able to switch places between our relative dimensions. It's always been a theory, but it's never actually occurred until now."

"Where is he?" cried another voice Will almost found familiar.

The small crowd parted and allowed the appearance of a beautiful oriental girl wearing a purple dress and her purple-streaked black hair was done in a long ponytail. She looked at Will from behind a pair of glasses, and her purple eyes were tearing up.

"Oh Will," she whispered, "are you okay?"

Before Will could answer Magenta was on top of him, peppering his face with little kisses. While it was rather confusing, he found it really wasn't bad at all.

"Miss Violetta," said Principal Battle, "please restrain yourself from your usual…shows of physical affection…and listen to what we are trying to say."

Magenta did as told, but she stayed snuggled up to Will like a frightened puppy. Will found the closeness from this version of his sarcastic goth friend was…actually kind of nice.

"So," his voice cracked as he spoke, then Will cleared his throat before he spoke again, "how soon can you get me back home?"

"That's just it," Dr. Tenny said sadly, "I don't know if you CAN return to your home dimension."

* * *

It had taken a lot of talking, but they were able to convince Will he was not in his own dimension, but one of countless alternate earths that he had been brought to by the malfunctioning transporter. 

Everyone noticed how skittish and nervous this Will was, and not just because he was in a different world. He seemed like he was always expecting something bad to happen, and he stayed close to Warren almost like a security blanket.

"What…what's it like in this world?"

"Well, let's see," said Mr. Medulla, "aside from possible social and geo-political differences that would…"

"Cram it," said Coach Boomer, "I think the kid means how WE are different from the ones he knows. Maybe you should tell us about yours first."

"Well," said Will, "on my world this "Principal Powers" of yours is a powerful villainess named Queen Comet, and you…" he pointed to Medulla, "are an evil mad scientist named Dr. Dome. You nearly took over the school at homecoming with a bunch of ex-students, but you were stopped by Warren, Layla, Lash, Speed, Penny and me and my girlfriend Magenta…"

"Whoa," said Warren, "Magenta is your girlfriend? What about…Layla?"

"She's your girlfriend," Will replied like it was common knowledge, "you two got together after we defeated Dr. Dome and the others. You started dancing and have always been together since. Luckily Mom and Dad approved."

"Yeah," said Warren, "about that…you said OUR dad. You mean you and I have the same dad?"

"Well," said Will, "I was raised by Mom and Dad…I mean Barron and Josie Battle with you after…what happened with my real dad."

* * *

"My parents are WHO?" 

"Your parents," said Barron with a sigh, "are the super heroine Jetstream and…my former friend Steve Stronghold, now known and reviled as the super villain called Tyrant. For years he masqueraded as a hero, even marrying your mother and having you…but when you turned six things changed. He finally went totally berserk and revealed his true nature to the world. It was quite a…battle, but he was defeated and is now incarcerated in the Maxville Prison for Super Villains. Your poor mother was beside herself…and my own wife Hellene had died in childbirth with Warren. We decided that it would be best if we…I don't know how to say this."

"Your mom divorced your dad," said Warren, putting a comforting arm around Will. Between that and Magenta's snuggling Will had the feeling he was loved very much in this world, despite what had happened with his dad. "And she married my dad. We're stepbrothers…which is, like, so totally cool. Then there's Hope…"

"Who?"

"Our little sister…Hope. She just turned eight a month ago."

Will didn't know what to think. His dad a dangerous villain in prison…his mom divorced from him and married to Warren's dad…and they had a daughter. He had a little sister. This world was getting crazier and crazier by the minute.

* * *

"I can't believe it," said Coach Boomer, "Steve Stronghold a villain. Sure he's a little stuck on himself, but still…" 

"What…what's he like here?"

"Are you kidding? He's one of the greatest heroes in the world here. He and your mom have been protecting Maxville for years.

"Really? You mean…they're still married? Dad's a hero…for real?"

"Yeah," said Coach Boomer, "he and your mom are upstanding members of the community…run Stronghold Superior Real Estate and everything."

Before anyone could move, Will took off, flying down the halls until he found an exit and was gone in a flash, flying down to the city of Maxville below. He had to see his dad, see him as a true hero, even if it was just once. He had no idea where to start looking until he saw a billboard for the real estate company with the address on it. It was actually in a part of town Will knew if locations corresponded to his world.

* * *

The outer walls of the Maxville Prison for Super Villains trembled again and again as powerful blows were struck against them. The inner walls had already succumbed to the rain of demolishing impacts, and now small cracks were appearing in one spot. With one final blow the wall shattered with a tremendous explosion. The sounds of the blows had been muffled by the deafening wail of warning sirens announcing a breakout, and all the guards that had tried to stop it had fallen. 

The noise finally stopped, and all was quiet for several moments until two figures emerged from the rubble. The first was short and skinny, with an abnormally large head, while the second was far bigger and powerfully built. His long hair was disheveled, and he looked like he hadn't shaved in days, but the most striking thing about him was the fact he had only one eye; the other was covered with a black patch. Both were wearing the standard orange jumpsuits given to prisoners.

"I told you all it took was the application of enough force in the exact spot to…gullk!"

The little man, known in this world as Dr. Dome, had been cut off by the application of a large hand around his throat, applying just enough force to shut him up even though it could have crushed him completely without straining.

"Quiet," growled Steven Stronghold, infamously known as the Tyrant, "you upheld your end of the deal, but shut up or I'll pop your melon head like a zit. My worthless little sidekick should be here any second with our escape vehicle. So help me, if he fouls this up…"

Down from the sky dropped a small airship right on schedule. The cockpit opened as the pilot motioned for the two to hurry.

"Hurry it up," yelled Tyrant's sidekick, the little man known as the Familiar, who had waited years for this moment.

Without a word the two villains climbed into the ship, and it rose into the air to vanish into the sun.

"Now that you've shut up," growled Tyrant, finally letting Dr. Dome go, "let's get out of here and get back to town. It's been too long since I've seen my family, and I want to make sure my son is especially surprised."

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High because if I did you'd be watching this instead of reading it, and it would be guest starring Steve Bacic (Andromeda) as Barron Battle (I forgot to put that in Part 1).**

**Sky High: The Series **

**Episode 7 **

**No Place Like Home **

**Part 2**

Steven Stronghold was stepping out of his office and about to head out to lunch when out of the corner of his eye he saw something drop from the sky. Ready for danger, he spun and found himself facing his son Will, who seemed to flinch at his movement.

"Will," said Steven, taking a breath of relief, "you startled me there for a second. What's up?"

Will just stood there, staring at his dad with the strangest look on his face. Steven wasn't exactly the brightest of all the super heroes in the world, but there was definitely something odd about Will.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh…yeah," said Will, swallowing hard before he spoke again as if he were afraid of saying anything, "I just…I just wanted to see you was all."

"Hey, that's okay," said Steven with a grin as he put his arm around his son's shoulders, noticing how he was trembling. "You just wanted to pop down and spend your lunch hour with your dad, eh? I used to do it all the time with your grandpa…well, jump down actually…can't fly like my best boy here. Come on."

With that he ushered Will into the car, and they headed out for lunch with Steven never realizing that this Will was not the one he knew.

* * *

"This is bad…this is VERY bad," said Mr. Grayson, the head teacher of the sidekick program who used to be Principal Battle's sidekick in the "good old days". He had just received word of what had happened at the Maxville Metropolis Prison for Super Villains, and it was possibly the worst news he could have gotten. He finally found his old partner in the infirmary, where a small crowd had apparently gathered. He was so caught up in the news he didn't bother to wait as he came bursting in. 

"THE TYRANT AND DR. DOME HAVE ESCAPED!"

Everyone was startled by the news, except for the young man sitting with Magenta cuddled up next to him. Will Battle seemed totally unfazed.

"Thank you, Gregory," said Principal Battle, wishing his old sidekick had stayed on his medication that kept him from getting so excited about things. He knew that it was up to him to get all the students home safely, especially his stepson.

"I want all classes cancelled for the rest of the day," he said, "I want every bus here and ready to load all the students within the hour. Everyone's parents are to be notified and every student is to be taken home as soon as possible. I don't doubt that all the other heroes are on full alert, but I want every member of the faculty who is capable of it to be ready to join in the search as well."

"Dad," said Warren, a worried look appearing for the first time on his face, "you don't mean you and Mom…"

"I'm afraid so son," smiled Principal Battle as he put his hand on his son's shoulder, "I'll be in on the search for Steven, but your mother will stay with you boys…possibly in a safe house as we know who he'll be after."

"I want to help," said Will, bringing everyone to a halt.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple Will," said Principal Battle, "I know you're not my stepson…at least on your world, but here your dad…he's not exactly the nicest guy in the world. In fact he's responsible for a lot of damage over the years, especially to his family. Your counterpart is…well, he's emotionally fragile because of what your dad…his dad…has done."

"Maybe so," said Will, "but if my dad is such a jerk in this world, and I can help put him back where he can't hurt anyone, I'll do it.

* * *

Steven noticed how quiet Will was, and would occasionally glance over to see him staring at him like he'd never seen him before. They came to Degreasy's Pizza, which was totally taboo for the boys according to Josie, but since she wasn't there it didn't really count. They went inside and found a booth and it was a moment before a waitress came to them. 

"Let's see," said Steven, "give us a house special with everything and double extra cheese on that, right Will?"

"Uh huh," said Will, surprised his dad actually knew how he liked his pizza.

"Now then," said Steven once the waitress was gone, "what's on your mind Will? You seem kind of nervous about something. Is everything okay at school?"

"Yeah," said Will, trying to avoid eye contact, "it's…I just wanted to spend a little time with you."

"That's okay," smiled Steven, "I know things have been kind of crazy lately what with your mid-terms coming up and there's been a real surge at work too, both realty wise and…you know. Seems everyone in Maxville is wanting to move around lately.

"Actually," he said, leaning in close to Will, "your mother and I may be getting the inside track on possibly the biggest deal we've ever had. You know that…"

"There you two are," said a voice both knew well.

"I should have known you two would sneak here for lunch without me," smiled Josie.

* * *

"How much longer?" snarled the Tyrant as he paced back and forth like he was still in his prison cell in solitary lockdown. He had shed his prison uniform and was now wearing his costume that consisted of a sleeveless black shirt, black pants and black boots. A red cape billowed off his bare broad shoulders, and he wore black fingerless gloves to complete the look. His hair was still a mess, he still had not shaved the stubble from his chin, and there was the always-present black patch over his left eye 

"A little patience, please," said Dr. Dome, who was again wearing his own costume which consisted of a doctor's smock, black pants and loafers. He was fiddling with the dials on the tracking device, trying to find the one Tyrant was looking for.

"Patience is NOT one of my virtues," growled the Tyrant as he put his fist through the concrete wall…actually it was the seventh one he had put there in the past twenty minutes.

"Neither is personal grooming," Dr. Dome muttered to himself. "Hmm, this is puzzling."

"What?"

"Well, according to these readings, the microscopic tracking device you planted in your son is…well, gone."

"Gone? You mean they found and removed it?"

"No," replied Dr. Dome, "it was programmed to alert us if that happened, but I mean that it is totally gone. It's as if he were gone from this universe, but I know that can't be, as I can plainly see him."

"What are you talking about, you melon-headed freak?"

"When I was masquerading as the mad science teacher for all those snot-nosed brats at Sky High, I secretly installed miniature spy cameras throughout the school to keep tabs on everyone as I prepared to take over the school. I've finally been able to get this monitor to the right wavelength and…viola! There's your boy, there in the infirmary."

Tyrant glared at the scene on the monitor. There was his son, surrounded by all the freaks and weaklings he thought were his friends. How was the boy going to take his rightful place as future ruler of the world by hanging out with those losers? His one eye especially narrowed as he saw his old enemy Barron Battle, the man who had put him in prison and stolen his wife and son. He would especially suffer before this day was done.

"FAMILIAR!" bellowed Tyrant, and in an instant the small black-clad man with a yellow cape (rumored the match the color of the streak down his back) appeared at his master's side.

"Get the Ram-Jet ready," said Tyrant, "we're taking a little school trip…and getting my boy."

"A-already d-done," said Familiar, looking for the slightest crumb of recognition from his master, who had served after he had been assigned to him at graduation from Sky High and even after he had become a villain. As far as Jonathan Boy was concerned, his pledge to serve alongside Steven Stronghold was all-important.

"Then let's go," said the Tyrant, grabbing Dr. Dome by the collar as he stalked towards the hangar with Familiar following.

"Gakk!" squawked Dr. Dome in protest, "what do you need me for?"

"You know the layout of the school since they remodeled it after I graduated," said Tyrant, "and besides, I don't trust you to not pull a fast one and try to warn them I'm coming."

* * *

Will did not know what to think as his parents smiled and embraced. He couldn't even remember the last time he had seen them together…at least not trying to kill each other. 

"Totally Will's idea," Steven grinned, "he was starving for a pizza and…"

"Right," said Josie, sitting down next to Will and not believing a word her husband was saying. "But don't worry, you two aren't in trouble…although I'm not sure about how Principal Powers will feel about you being off school grounds, Will."

"I'll take full responsibility," said Steven, "that will take any heat off him. Right now we're just enjoying some guy time, and I was about to tell him about that possible big deal…"

The sudden ringing brought them to a halt, and Josie whipped a small red cell phone from her purse. Flipping it open, she answered it.

"What's the situation, Mayor?" Josie asked. She was silent for several moments as the person on the other end of the line gave the details for why they were calling.

"We'll be right there," said Josie, "have the officers clear the area and tell everyone to stay back."

"So much for lunch," grumbled Steve, leaving Will totally dumbfound about what was going on. "I'll go ahead and pay for the pizza Will, you take it back up to Sky High and share it with your friends. Zach alone will probably polish it off by himself, so get your fill before he shows up."

"We'll see you after school tiger," said Josie, giving Will a peck on the cheek as she and Steve headed out the door.

"Wait," called Will, following them out the door, "I…I want to go with you."

"You know that's impossible honey," said Josie, "someone might see you with us and recognize you and…"

Steven pulled Josie aside for a moment and whispered into her ear.

"Let him come," said Steven, "Will seems upset about something…he's definitely not himself today. He'll stay out of sight, and once we're done maybe he'll open up with what's bothering him."

Josie nodded her head and turned back to her son.

"Okay," said Josie, "wait here while we "change", then stay out of sight and follow us. Once we get there, just blend into the crowd and enjoy the show.

With than Steven and Josie stepped into a deserted alleyway and emerged from the other end as the Commander and Jetstream. The sight of his parents in those wonderful uniforms actually took Will's breath away, and he waited until they took off before he glanced around, made sure no one was looking, then leapt into the sky to follow them.

"There he is," said Jetstream as she held the Commander and the arrived at their destination.

"Just great," grumbled the Commander, "for this creep we have to give up a lunch with our son."

Will, out of sight, looked upon a scene of destruction with crushed cars, smashed streets and broken glass everywhere. In the midst of the wreckage stood a large, humanoid-shaped robot. At least it was the body of a robot; only its head was missing.

"Well," said Jetstream, "at least now we know what happened to Ticranium's body."

* * *

With the coordinates, the wicked looking flying machine called the Ram-Jet soared through the sky on a crash course for Sky High. The villains aboard had been monitoring all the buses leaving the school, and knew it would be nearly deserted by the time they got there, which was just fine with them. As long as their target was still there, that was all that mattered. 

"Looks like your son and his buddies are still in the infirmary," said Dr. Dome as he continued to use his spy cameras.

"That's because he IS infirm," snarled the Tyrant, "as long as he sticks with those losers. Once I get him safely away from them, I'll toughen him up in no time. Then they'll see some serious trouble."

"We're almost there," said the Familiar, "I'll just land and…"

"Land? Forget that!" The Tyrant reached over, smacked his sidekick out of the way and grabbed the controls. "There's a reason this is call the RAM-JET, you little twit!"

Inside the school, Barron had already seen to the evacuation of the school, and had to nearly physically remove Lash, Speed, Magenta and Layla from around Will and put them on their respective buses. Now he, Warren and Will were heading out as well when they heard the shrill scream from outside.

"INCOMING!" yelled Barron, just moments before the Ram-Jet slammed into the school shaking it to its foundation. Barron shoved both the boys out of the way of a falling section of ceiling, and was caught by a piece of it as he tried to fly out of the way. He crashed to the floor, stunned for a moment. Through the smoke and dust he saw a tall, powerful figure come striding towards him, and he knew his worst fear was about to come true.

"Alright," sneered the Tyrant, "where's my wimpy little boy? I'm taking him out of this wuss factory and making a real man out of him."

"You mean continue to bully him, you heartless…" gasped Barron.

"Don't you say another word," said the Tyrant as he kicked his old enemy through a concrete wall, "you stole Josie and Will from me with your goody-goody act! But after I'm done with you "good" is the last word that'll be used to describe your pretty face!"

"That's enough!"

Tyrant turned around, surprised to hear such bravery in the voice he thought he remembered. It couldn't be, but there was Will, actually standing there and glaring at him.

"Well well," sneered Tyrant, "so you finally got up enough nerve to at least look at me, eh?"

"I'll do more than that," said Will, disgusted with this mockery of his father he saw before him. He may have looked like him and somewhat sounded like him, at least when his dad had a sore throat, but this was so WRONG that he couldn't act in any way but to stop him.

"Yeah, like what?"

Tyrant was completely caught by surprise when the son he had always derided and looked upon as a weakling launched into the air like a missile and slammed into him, carrying him through concrete wall after concrete wall until they reached the outside. Once there, Will threw him off so he landed with a thud on the front lawn.

"Well, well, well," said Tyrant as he got to his feet, "so you finally decided to show some backbone, huh? Well, let's see how well you do with this…"

Tyrant raised his fist into the air, and Will instantly realized he was going to do his dad's patented seismic punch. But if he struck the ground here, the shockwave would likely damage the floating island and maybe the anti-gravity generators as well.

* * *

Though it was missing its head, the artificially intelligent super robot Ticranium was proving to still be a major problem. The way it flailed its massive metallic arms made it impossible for Jetstream to get anywhere near it, and the numerous rays and beams that fired from its shoulder guns and fingers made it impossible for the Commander to get close enough to use his strength on it. All they were doing now was stopping it from progressing on its mindless rampage. 

But was it really mindless? Will noticed that the robot, even minus a head, had left a clear and deliberate trail behind it. It seemed to be heading in a specific direction, and somehow Will had a feeling he knew where. He took off into the air and, if his directions were right and things corresponded in this world they way they had so far…there it was.

The large two-story house in the quiet neighborhood was almost identical to the home he knew, except it was a different color. He landed and ran to the front door to see the nameplate on it. Sure enough, even though the name said "Stronghold" instead of "Battle", he knew this was his house. And if he continued to be right, he had only a short time to act before the robot would break off its fight and start heading this way again.

Will literally beat his dad's evil twin to the punch, slamming both of his fists into the ground and sending out a shockwave that hurled the Tyrant into the air. Will knew that his own punch wasn't as powerful as his dad's from when he first used it when he and Warren had beaten Lash and Speed during "Save the Citizen" seemingly a lifetime ago. He wouldn't damage the floating island, but he could still keep his foe from doing such a thing. He then launched into the air, following the Tyrant.

"So much for those two," snickered Dr. Dome as he glanced out the hole to see Will and his father fighting, "now I can finish bringing down this miserable place once and for all."

"Don't think so melon-head," said Warren as he stepped from behind the pile of rubble his father had saved him from, "you're going down."

"I don't think so "dude"," sneered Dr. Dome as he turned to the Familiar. "Quick, hand me my cellular disruptor!"

"I don't have it," said the Familiar.

"It's there in the Ram-Jet," said Dr. Dome, "just get it quickly…you know, do that "super helpful" thing you do."

"I can't," replied the Familiar.

"Why not? You're a sidekick with the ability to be super helpful, so be super helpful and get me my weapon."

"Yes, I'm a sidekick," said Familiar, "but I'm not YOUR sidekick. My power won't work for you."

"You mean," said Dr. Dome as the realization finally set in, "that we're…"

The deafening "fwhump" of flames exploding into existence in Warren's hands cut off anything else the evil scientist was about to say.

* * *

Will entered the den, finding it somewhat like the one he knew. He desperately looked around, hoping that he could find something that would clue him in to what he was looking for. He then noticed the painting of a ship on one wall, and realized that though different, it was in the exact spot as the landscape in his stepfather's den. Holding his breath, he touched the picture, and it opened up to reveal a metal plate with a handprint on it. Will put his hand on it, resulting in an electronic buzz and the other wall opening up to reveal two poles that led down to beneath the house. Letting out a sigh of relief, Will shot down one of the poles to find himself in something that looked like his stepfather's old headquarters. He immediately made his way to the trophy room, shaking his head at all the mementoes collected from past battles. Apparently a lot of the people he knew were bad guys in this world as he recognized the surfboard of King Calmayamaya, and a robot bug built by Insecto, but there was one thing in particular he knew he was looking for, and he found it. 

It was a large, nearly featureless robot head that looked to be made of the same material as the headless robot rampaging downtown. Its eyes were lit up like a Christmas tree, and Will knew he had found the source of the trouble.

* * *

Will flew up, up, up holding the struggling Tyrant with all his strength. It wasn't easy, but he finally reached his destination; the edge of earth's atmosphere. Once there he let his father's evil double go and flew off as fast as he could. It was then Tyrant realized the situation he was in, and snarled as gravity took hold of him, pulling him down in a total freefall that would have disintegrated any air or space craft. His body burst into flames from the heat of reentry, and he bellowed in pain though the flames did not do any real damage. He finally slammed down into the earth, causing a seismic shock for several miles around. 

When Tyrant came to a few moments later, he was in the middle of a huge crater. His skin was dark red, his hair singed away by the flames, and he was barely able to stand. It took a moment for the sound he was hearing to register, and then he looked up and realized what it was.

Will was coming down at more then Mach 3 speed, both flying straight down and letting gravity help him. He gritted his teeth in determination and braced for impact with his fists outstretched, aimed for this monster that looked like his father.

The impact was equal to a megaton nuclear explosion, shattering windows for miles around and sending cars flying up into the air. Even Sky High was rocked by the shockwave, and everyone was surprised by what had happened.

When the cloud of dust and debris cleared, Will rose up into the air, dirty and his clothes torn, but otherwise okay. Behind him he drug the form of the unconscious Tyrant by the tattered remains of his cape. He flew back up to Sky High, where he threw the villain into the Detention Room, rendering him powerless. Both the slightly singed Familiar and Dr. Dome were awe struck by what they saw, and Will only shot them a dirty look through the view port in the door. He then took three steps and fell to the floor, totally exhausted.

* * *

Will tried to approach the robot as quietly as he could, but it was obviously aware of him from the way it spoke. 

"Intruder identified as designate Will Stronghold, offspring of Commander and Jetstream. Will Stronghold is not to approach closer upon pain of death."

Will could not believe he was hearing such words from the head of the robot, which looked so much like the benevolent one of his own world. But he knew things were different here, and that the robot had to be stopped before more damage was done. He then flew through the air, dodging a ray blast from Ticranium's suddenly glowing eyes, and grabbed the head in his hands. Mustering all his strength, his fingers began to sink into the metallic skull as sparks began shooting all about it.

"STOP!" cried Ticranium, but Will refused to listen. He had to stop the robot before his parents of this world could be injured or their home destroyed, and he tried all the harder until with a groan of metal Ticranium's titanium head exploded in an electrical blast that knocked Will into the far wall of the Secret Sanctum and he fell to the floor.

* * *

"Will," he heard a voice calling his name, "Will, wake up." 

Will slowly opened his eyes to find his mother Jetstream leaning over him.

"Hey tiger," she smiled, "are you okay? That was brilliant of you to figure out Ticranium was controlling his body from here."

"Huh? Ticranium?" Will looked and saw what was left of one of his dad's prized trophies laying flattened and charred on the floor. He knew he was going to get it now.

"Hey Will," said the Commander, and Will was startled for a second until he realized that it was his dad and not the evil Tyrant standing over him.

"Don't worry," said the Commander, noticing Will's reaction, "it's okay you destroyed that stupid thing, I've got plenty of other trophies…I'll just keep the body over there on the far wall. Anyway, I just wonder why "he" waited so long to try this."

"Do you think Gwen may have somehow activated him when she was down here before Homecoming?" asked Jetstream, who was now examining the crushed robot head.

Will's mind was far away as he kept thinking about what he had just experienced. Why had he returned to his own reality like this?

* * *

"Well," said Dr. Tenny as she started putting her equipment away, "all the strange energy is indeed gone. It seems it was finally dissipated when the Wills used their powers to their fullest extant." 

Will tried to rise up from the examining table, but his entire upper body was so sore from crushing the once-thought indestructible robot head, he just gave up and continued to lay there.

"I don't know what you did," Principal Battle said to his stepson, "but you just rest now and tell us about it later."

Will hardly heard him, because his mind was trying to wrap itself around everything that had happened today. He had met another version of his dad who was a real super hero, a decent father as well. He and Mom had looked so right together when they were fighting the robot, and though Will did love his stepfather, a small part of him still wished his parents were still together.

"Hey little bro," said Warren as he sat down beside Will, "it's gnarly to have you back. That other you was cool but…well, he just wasn't my little bro."

Will smiled as he looked at the familiar Warren he knew, not the strange dark one he had met in the other reality. That version of his brother had seemed so withdrawn and sad somehow, and he wished he had had a chance to ask him why. It was probably nothing major, but still he was curious.

"So what was it like over there," asked Warren, "was it like all weird and everybody different somehow?"

"In some ways," said Will, "but the biggest difference was that my dad was a hero…a real hero. It was great seeing him that way."

Warren could see the difference in his brother's attitude and demeanor, like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders somehow. Sure, it was the other Will who had defeated Tyrant, but seeing his dad as a hero had done a lot for this Will, and hopefully he was on his way to finally getting over all the bad stuff that had haunted him for years.

"Yeah," said Warren, "I don't know how I'd act if Dad was a bad guy."

"Barron Battle a bad guy?" grinned Will, "no way that could ever happen."

**The End**


End file.
